Shingle Street is a small coastal hamlet in Suffolk,
England, at the mouth of Orford Ness, situated between Orford and Bawdsey.
This part of the coast is also known as Hollesley Bay. Shingle Street is at
risk from the sea and could disappear if sea defences are not erected. The
shingle shoreline is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Shingle Street was originally a home for fishermen and river pilots for the
River Ore/Alde. Early in the 19th century four Martello towers was built
between Shingle Street and Bawdsey, the most northerly example later the
home for coastguards. Many of the original buildings date from this period,
and the village became a small centre for fishing boats. The four Martello
towers survive, along with more recent wartime defences.

The hamlet was evacuated in the Second World War, and the local pub, the
Lifeboat Inn, was destroyed in a Porton Down experiment, never to be
replaced. There have been many rumours relating to the wartime history of
the area. There have been suggestions that there was a small German invasion
in the area, but evidence is lacking from both sides of the channel. The
only fully documented bodies recovered on the beach were four German airmen
from a crashed He111. Other suggestions are that a pipeline defence system
was laid along the beach, which could release a flammable liquid to 'set the
sea on fire'. Whilst such devices were tested in the UK, there are no
records that they were used north of Shoeburyness. Several other buildings
were destroyed during World War 2, and minefields laid on the beach were not
cleared for some time after the war. The village never regained its fishing
industry, although it is still popular with fishing enthusiasts.Shingle
Street was originally a home for fishermen and river pilots for the River
Ore/Alde. Early in the 19th century four Martello towers was built between
Shingle Street and Bawdsey, the most northerly example later the home for
coastguards. Many of the original buildings date from this period, and the
village became a small centre for fishing boats. The four Martello towers
survive, along with more recent wartime defences.